Akron Half Marathon Race Recap

Mom and I left the house about 3:45 and started driving to Akron, OH. We got to our hotel, checked in and watched the end of 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.' We drove to the expo to pick up our numbers and wander through the vendors and met up with Rob and Sandy (works with Mom).

The starting line/ staging area

The BondiBand stand. I bought 3. Love these things!!

After the expo, we went to Olive Garden and had their All You Can Eat pasta bowl for $8.95. I had 3 bowls with salad and breadsticks and totally forgot to take pictures. But I can say that their new sauce with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes is really good!!! After dinner, we drove back to the hotel and settled down for the night. I made chocolate protein oats for me, Rob and Sandy.

The alarm went off early at 4 or 4:30. I let some other people tackle the bathroom first. I think we ended up leaving the hotel about 5:30 and the streets downtown were shut down at 5:30, so we just followed the traffic into a parking deck. 

Mom driving to the race

Me in my new skully BondiBand and SR shirt!

My number and the spelled me name right!!

We got to the starting line, put our stuff bag on the truck to pick up at the finish and waited in the staging area for the race to start. We had to take pictures, of course!!

140 port-a-potties at the start

the racing girls!

The race started a few minutes before 7am and it was still dark. It took us about 5 minutes to cross the starting line. Mom and I started running together but she's speedier than I am and took off about a half mile into it.

Race start

Sadly, I was crampy pretty much the whole race but miles 8-11. I took pictures of some markers and came across my family just after the 5K mark. They are blurry b/c I was running and using my sister's camera b/c mine has finally kicked the bucket after 5 years and I ordered a new one!

my blurry family as I ran by

5K down!

Mom running

Me running in my SR shirt

Just chugging along...

10K!!

15K!!!

The Polymer building I worked in for 2 summers

The Chihuly artwork in front of the building

Crossed the start line again on the course

Coming into the Akron Aero's baseball stadium to the finish...

You had to round the bases before you could get out

My family (on the bottom right) in the stands

Me crossing the finish

Mom crossing the finish

I thought it was a nice touch that the race director shook the hands of everyone that crossed the finish line...

We did it!!

With one of the signs my sister made...

Here's the course.

I really enjoyed this race! It was my very first time finishing a HM after my last mountain attempt didn't go so well. This was a really pretty course and not very challenging as far as hills went. I would totally run this race again and will hope for a better time!!

With that said, I have already signed up for the Spokane Half Marathon in Spokane, WA on Oct. 9!!

Here we go crazies here we go!!

How did you first HM go?